


Amazing Phil

by singing_to_empty_caves



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Near Death Experiences, cheesefest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 04:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singing_to_empty_caves/pseuds/singing_to_empty_caves
Summary: Sometimes, a best friend can really be a lifesaver.





	Amazing Phil

Air, please!

Gape like a fish, inhale, not enough!

Stilted, stunted, tilted, rough, expand, collapse, implode, give in.

Give up.

And that was when Daniel Howell passed out.

~~~

Phil Lester was editing a video that he planned to upload in three days' time. He always gave himself a large window; after all, he could afford spacing out his videos, with the current income between him and his flatmate supporting their modest lifestyle.

Well, it used to be modest, until their fanbase grew so large that they decided to start a radio show, publish a book, tour the world, and go down in history as the most dynamically awkward duo ever to post embarrassing content online.

He felt like that was something Dan would say. Maybe his younger counterpart was rubbing off on him more than he thought.

Sometimes, he had to admit, he missed being the hero. There was a time when Dan thought that Phil hung the stars in the sky, that he was a superhero. He missed hearing Dan say his name in that low, tentative voice that reminded him of pure chocolate at the time, though now he supposed Dan was trying to sound cooler than he thought he was.

That's not to say that Phil wasn't glad for Dan's emotional growth. Just, sometimes... he missed being AmazingPhil, rather than "Phil, you know, like Dan and Phil."

There were a lot of thoughts on his mind similar to these; bitter things, things that would definitely not seem in harmony with his persona. Even Dan thought there wasn't a shred of darkness left in Phil. It was as though his black jeans and dyed hair had become a symbol of light. There was a reason he kept those small traditions of his appearance: they represented the things he would never say.

He shook his head, trying to focus on his current task. He wanted to punctuate a bit of footage with a sound effect, but he couldn't decide between the funny little trumpet noise or a short second of Dan's endscreen music. Whatever he chose, he didn't want to overstep his boundaries, so he figured he'd better get permission before even considering Dan's music.

"Dan!" Phil shouted, playing the footage back one more time.

There was no answer. Phil could either wait a few minutes and try again, or find Dan wherever he was and pester him until he came.

The second option seemed much more effective to Phil, and so he chose to track down his friend.

"Dan?" he called out once more, peeking into the lounge. Empty. And so was the kitchen. He'd have no reason to be in the gaming room, either.

Phil shrugged and went back down the hall to Dan's room. He knocked on the door, very gently so as not to wake him if he were asleep. "Dan?"

Again, no answer. Phil pressed his ear to the door to see if he could hear signs of life. His eyebrows came together when he heard very laboured breathing.

"Dan, I'm coming in," Phil warned, cracking open the door.

There was a loud thud, and Phil, worried over Dan, swung the door open all the way.

Immediately, his phone was in his hands as he tried to get his fingers to stop shaking so he could dial 999.

As soon as someone was on the line, Phil tried to speak, but instead a sob came out.

"Don't panic," someone said calmly on the other end. "Just tell me what's happened."

"My--my flatmate, he's--he's passed out on the, on the floor, he's all blue in the face, he's not breathing!" Phil ended in a scream as he realized his own inhale-exhale was now the only set in the room.

"We need an address," the woman requested, seeming a bit too serene for Phil's liking.

He relayed the information in short bursts with interspersed sobs as he knelt next to Dan.

"All right. Stay calm. Medical help is on the way. I'm going to need information on the victim. His age and medical history, please."

"He's--er, he's 26, and I think it's just depression, he's on medicine for it." Phil wiped his nose with his sleeve and swallowed another burst of tears. He was thirty years old, he could manage himself in an emergency.

"Okay. Until help arrives, I'll need you to help me help him, okay?"

"Okay, er, yeah," Phil agreed. He wished his voice would stop shaking so much.

"Lift up his chin a bit and listen to make sure he isn't breathing."

Phil bit back a snarky remark and did as he was asked. "...No breathing."

"All right. Now, put your hands on his chest, sideways, one above the other. Can you do that?"

"Yeah," Phil breathed, nestling his phone between his head and his shoulder. It fell, and he cursed under his breath before hitting the speaker button and tossing it to the side of Dan's body. 

He knelt down, one knee on each side of Dan, and put his hands in position. "What now?"

"Push. Push hard. Push quickly. Put your weight into it. Do that thirty times, okay? Then, after that, I want you to tilt his head back, hold his nose shut, and breathe into his mouth twice. After that, do thirty more compressions, then two more breaths, and keep going until help arrives."

"Okay," Phil agreed, nodding to himself. Okay. You can do this. You can keep Dan alive.

He took a deep, shuddering breath and threw his upper body weight into his hands, over and over again. Dan wasn't responding, but Phil held onto the idea of Dan coming back to life and living another day in the apartment. This time, Phil would appreciate every moment with Dan. He wouldn't complain about losing a Dan Vs. Phil, and he most certainly wouldn't steal cereal anymore. He felt like he hadn't valued his best friend enough, and he wanted to make sure that Dan was safe and happy, whatever happened next. As he breathed into Dan's lungs, he could almost hear him making a sarcastic remark: "Ah, yes, the breath of life. You look quite attractive doing that, don't you?"

Sirens came close, but Phil diligently did his best to keep Dan's heart beating until he was forced away by one of the medical responders. He couldn't stand to watch them shock Dan's lifeless body, nor could he even see it through his tears. He wanted to think Dan didn't even need this, that he'd sit up and laugh it off with the doctors around him.

It was agonizing to wait for them. Every time he heard a voice, Phil flinched; despite his imagined scenarios, he found himself expecting to hear the apology that meant Daniel was gone.

What he didn't expect was the collective sigh of relief.

"He's all right," one of them told Phil.

Phil choked on his next words, pushing past everyone in the room to see Dan.

"Dan? Dan!" he shouted, watching his tears drip onto pale skin.

"Excuse me, but we need to get him in the ambulance," someone informed Phil. "Step aside."

"But--but can't I come?"

"Not in the ambulance, I'm afraid. You can meet him at the hospital, though."

That's exactly what Phil did, in fact, and as soon as he saw Dan, he ran to his side. After being near-dead or dead--Phil hoped not--for so long, Dan was understandably physically exhausted and needed some rest. Phil was not allowed to stay for long, as he wasn't family, but he constantly texted and called Dan's mother from the waiting room for more information.

Eventually, Phil was allowed to see Dan awake. He opened the door carefully and shut it as quietly as he could.

"Dan?" he whispered.

"Phil!" Dan replied weakly, a smile reaching his features.

"You're--I--"

"The doctors said... you did CPR... for ten minutes straight," Dan struggled to say.

"Well, I couldn't let you die, could I?" Phil replied, making his way to Dan's bedside.

"I suppose not," Dan agreed.

Phil took Dan's hand and smiled at his closed eyes. "I made a promise to myself if you lived, you know."

"Yeah?"

"That I'd never eat your cereal again."

Dan chuckled--it sounded more like a few wheezing breaths, but Phil knew the intentions behind it.

"You'd better keep that promise," Dan commanded.

"Of course," Phil complied. "So long as you don't ever do that again."

"I won't. Promise."

Phil's smile wavered, as did his voice. "You really scared me, you know."

"Too bad it isn't... Spooky Week," Dan breathed, ending with another short bout of laughter.

"Yeah. Too bad." Phil's voice had gotten thicker throughout his response as he held back a sob full of mixed emotions.

"Hey, now, Phil... it's all right... I'm okay."

"I'm not," Phil stated. He grabbed Dan's hand. "I almost lost my best friend."

"No," Dan corrected, "you saved me... You always seem to... do that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's why they... call you... _amazing._ "

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is my first published fanwork, so I'd love constructive criticism!  
> (Also, keep in mind that I'm American, and all information researched for this was summed up in 7 Google searches.)


End file.
